The X-Project

The Day Zero memorial concert is interrupted when some protesters interrupt the announcement about the new HeliX chapter at ESU.

The quadrangle at ESU had been host to the Day Zero vigil since Saturday, banners hanging in the trees to remember those who were lost and candles lit each sunset to honor their memory. People had been wandering in and out over the four days, sharing their thoughts with the others that gathered there, with the occasional spontaneous singing session springing up when someone brought along a guitar. It was a time to remember what New York had suffered at the hands of mutants a year ago - and also to remember that it had been mutants who had helped to save them.

On Wednesday night, a larger event had been organised. A stage had been assembled on one side of the quadrangle, lights and speakers erected for the concert planned. Students poured into the area after five, each one given a candle to light as the sun began it's descent below the horizon.

ESU's provost was the first to speak, as introduced by the MC for the evening, a graduate student who had spearheaded the the organisation of the event. The provost welcomed everyone to the event and spoke briefly about those the university lost. There was a call for a minute's silence to remember them, followed by a prayer read by Rebecca Black, the president of ESU's branch of Day Zero Victims United.

The MC then went on introduce the next speaker - Bethany Moore, a journalism student from Georgia State University and member of HeliX's first incarnation here in New York.

The dark-haired young woman who stepped up to the podium was slim and athletic-looking, her hair cut short and her movements quick and yet graceful. When she looked up from her notes, her expression was solemn and her voice, when she started, steady and calm.

"What happened in New York a year ago shocked the world. Those of us who were outside of the city watched with horror as events unfolded. It seemed like all of our worst nightmares had come true, like every warning the FOH had made about how dangerouse mutants are had come to pass.

"I grew up in Salem Center. My Dad was a cop with the local police department, my Mom was a teacher at the local high school. It's no secret that there's a school for mutants in the area. It wasn't unusual to run into the Xavier's kids in Salem Center - it's not a big town. Everyone knows there are mutants there and everyone has an opinion on it.

"When I was sixteen, one of the Xavier's students set up a group called HeliX. It was not a lot more than a social club, but what made it different was that for the first time, ordinary human and mutant students had a chance to sit down and talk to each other. It wasn't easy, for either side, but we kept it up. Even when the coffee house we met in was firebombed and we lost a lot of our members, some of us kept it going as we graduated high school and went to college. Because it was important. Because it allowed us to communicate with each other, to start to understand each other.

"There's a lot of misinformation out there about mutants and not a lot of actual facts. For the most part, mutants don't tend to put themselves out there, because they're frightened of making themselves a target. After Day Zero, that only got worse. But the greatest danger out there, worse than Apocalypse or Magneto or the FOH, is ignorance. Because ignorance breeds fear and fear breeds hate. It's easy to villify a group if you don't know them, if they're just faceless monsters, or if you can point at the worst of them and say "they're all like that". But just as Hitler or Pol Pot or Idi Amin weren't typical examples of humankind, Apocalypse and Magneto aren't typical examples of mutants. There are thousands of mutants out there, just ordinary people living their lives, or using their powers to benefit others, and we never hear about them. We never get to know them.

"People like Apocalypse and Magneto, they use that fear and hatred against us. They use it to justify their actions, to point at humans and say 'we had to act before they did'. In the wake of Day Zero, anti-mutant sentiment increased, and it's difficult to blame anyone for that. When you've been targeted, it's hard not to want to push back. But we're better than that. We're stronger than that. We can move past reaction and start to reason. We can stop the cycle of fear and hatred through education and communication. We can get to know the faceless "them" and let them see that we're not all the same either. We can combat the Apocalypses and Magnetos and the Friends of Humanity by removing their justification, by taking away their support. And we can do that by just simply reaching out, and talking."

Bethany paused, looking over the crowd, her expression earnest. "Mutant or ordinary human, powers or not, we are all people. Nothing more, nothing less. Please, remember that." She glanced over to the side of the platform and smiled slightly. "And apparently I'm running on, so I'll introduce the next speaker. HeliX has moved on from a small group meeting in a coffee shop. This year, over a third of college campuses in the United States have a chapter of the group, aimed at improving human and mutant relations. Please welcome the president of the Philidelphia University chapter, Ms. Carlie Bartlet."

As Bethany left the podium, there was a burst of applause. Her place was taken by another young woman, slightly older, her red-blonde hair gleaming in the sun. Carlie cleared her throat and smiled before beginning to speak.
"Thank you, Beth. And thank you to the organisers of today's vigil, for letting us speak today. I'll keep things brief, because Beth covered the philosophy of HeliX pretty well.

"Out of a senseless tragedy came amazing stories. Who can forget the "Thin Blue Line", that group of law enforcement officials who retook the northern part of Manhattan, protecting those who hadn't been able to get out? The medical personnel who refused to leave their patients, regardless of the danger, or the EMTs who continued working? The unknown mutant girl on the Brooklyn Bridge? Those people... it didn't matter to them who they saved, whether they were human or mutant. They acted to save lives, at the risk of their own.

"In that spirit, ESU has decided to join in the fight for understanding. As Beth said, communication is the greatest weapon we have against the type of intolerance that created the Apocalypses and Magnetos and Friends of Humanity, and to that end, I'd like to introduce the leaders of ESU's own brand-new HeliX chapter, Charles Rowe and Charlotte Lincoln. Come out here, Charlies!"

At Carlie's introduction, two others joined her on stage - the man was tall and lanky with a mop of light brown curly hair, the woman by his side at an equal height, with bright orange skin and hair a shade of red that had never been seen in nature. They both smiled and shook hands with Carlie and Beth, before Charlotte took to the stage.

"A year ago, we all experienced the tragedy that has now become known as Day Zero. We all lost friends, experienced the terror that was the attack on New York. The actions taken during those days are inexcusable, the motives behind such an attack inexplicable. Which is why we decided to establish this chapter of HeliX - no matter who you are, mutant or human, the only way forward is to come to understand one another better."

Charlotte stepped back from the podium at this point, ignoring the rumblings in the crowd to turn to her partner who was next to speak. But before he got the chance to say anything, one of the grumblers turned more vocal, shouting his disapproval at the stage.

"Get off the stage, race traitor!" The voice rang out.

"We don't want to understand no dirty mutie!" Another yelled.

Charles, undeterred, opened his mouth once more to speak, only to have a glass bottle fly past his head, everyone on stage immediately ducking.

It was on for young and old then - vehement members of Friends of Humanity protestors threw the first punch, with other members of the audience trying to stop them from fighting and instead joining the fight themselves. Others simply tried to flee the sudden eruption of violence, not wanting to get caught in the crossfire.

Angelo sighed silently - he'd hoped this wouldn't happen, but he couldn't say he hadn't been expecting it. He leapt into action immediately, focusing on protecting the ones who only wanted to get away for now.

Carlie was rushing Charles off stage, while Bethany had grabbed Charlotte. "And I thought Massachusetts crowds were ugly!" Carlie called over to her friend and colleague. "We'd better find cover, quick!"

Bishop had already found cover, it was always his first goal once a fight erupted, and he managed to snag the speakers as they started to run by, directing them to a somewhat safe exit. "Head back that way before they start throwing bullets instead of bottles."

Carlie nodded, recognising a police officer when she saw one - having a big sister in the FBI for a number of years gave her a certain sense for these things. "Thanks!" she managed as she shoved Charles into the shelter of a doorway. "Damn FOH," Bethany muttered as she and Charlotte joined them. Her expression was one part furious, one part saddened as she looked at the chaos. "So much for a peaceful memorial. The press is going to go nuts with this."

While Angelo was doing the protecting, Kyle had other goals in mind, and had tackled a broken-bottle wielding protester, taking him to the ground. Even with the disadvantage of deliberately pulling his claws in and moving with care, he still got the man down to the ground and immobilized quickly, and most importantly, got the broken-off bottle out of the man's hands and onto the ground before it could cut up anyone that wouldn't heal the cuts in under an hour.

Amara had ducked out of the way with Bishop when the fighting had started, but she didn't stay there while she did. She moved back into the crowd, starting to help the bystanders to clear the area. It wasn't easy - given how crowded the quadrangle had been, and the bottleneck caused by the surrounding buildings.

"They weren't waiting for this." Bishop managed to even laugh softly when he replied to Bethany. "It doesn't matter how a fight starts when a repressed group is involved. That's how repression works." He smirked back to the group and, now that there were safe, the huge man stepped out to begin helping. He knew he'd be able to tear through the crowd easily and his size alone would be a deterrent to most.

Charles and Charlotte had been hurried away by Carlie and Bethany, and now that they were clear, Charlotte was furious. "This is exactly the sort of thing we didn't want to see happen! I can't believe this." Charles put his arm around her shoulder, shushing her gently.

"It'll be alright, Charlie, don't worry about it." He flashed a wan smile to Carlie and Bethany, trying to remain cheerful despite the situation.

"Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen, we need to get you out of here now." The conversation was interrupted by a police officer that had been on hand for the incident. "There's a clear path here, if you'll follow me..."